Lions Down Spartans

The Live Oak Lions have had a remarkable season. On Tuesday night, they proved once again that they were not a force to mess with, beating the East Nicolaus Spartans 62-49.

James McDaniels

The Live Oak Lions have had a remarkable season. On Tuesday night, they proved once again that they were not a force to mess with, beating the East Nicolaus Spartans 62-49.

The Lions were able to jump out early even without being able to make assists. Romario Acosta and Gurbeer Kooner combined for eight points in 8 minutes. The Lions ended up tied 10-10 at the end of the 1st quarter even though they had a goose egg in the assist column.

In the 2nd quarter, the Lions started to take control, scoring 23 points in the 8 minute time period. That’s more points than some NBA teams score in 12 minute quarters. The Lions started passing the ball and people began getting involved. Aaron Pamma and Kooner led the quarter with 9 points and 7 points, respectively. Acosta dished in an additional 5 points.

At the half, the Lions had managed to put themselves in a good position with a 10 point lead of 33 to 23. Kooner and Pamma led the team with 11 points each and Acosta had tallied 9 points on his scorecard. Overall, the stats were quite favorable with the Lions, who came up with 10 steals and 17 rebounds. The team managed to salvage 5 assists while turning the ball over 7 times.

The Lions continued on their hot streak in the 2nd half, scoring 16 points in the 3rd quarter. Acosta made up 7 of those points. In the 4th quarter, the Lions tacked on 13 more points, eight of them coming from Acosta yet again.

The game stayed pretty even in the 2nd half, with the Lions only outscoring the Spartans by 3 points over the final 16 minute time period. Thus, since the Lions had a 10 point lead at the half, the Lions won easily at a final score of 62-49. Romario led the team in scoring with 24 points while Aaron Pamma followed close behind, racking up 19 points. Gurbeer stayed quiet in the 2nd half, but still finished in double digits for scoring with 11 points. The Lions came away with only 10 assists, yet they turned the ball over 14 times. The Lions won this game by virtue of the rebound department, out-rebounding the visiting Spartans 38-31. Of course, stealing the ball 14 times and holding the opposing team to 5 assists helps a good amount, too. But ultimately, it comes down to shooting the basketball and putting up more points than the other team. The Lions shot well, making 24 shots from the field (4 three pointers). The Lions could have done much better from the foul line, as they shot just barely over 50% from the stripe. However, the Lions (10 free throws made) still made more free throws than the Spartans (6 free throws made).

With the win, the Lions have gained confidence. Now, after a two game road trip last week and a full BYE week next week, the Lions last game will be against the team they are fighting for the league title: the Pierce Bears.

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